To start, my grandfather was in the Air Force, and was in the Air Force. As such, most of my experience of the US military comes from that area. And while I don’t have any interest in discussing the pros and cons of the US military or the Air Force, it did mean that my ears perked up a bit when I heard about this about a year ago: an Air Force Blog Assessment flowchart.

I really liked it, so I printed it out and hung it in my office at work. And I have to tell you, this thing has saved my ass more times than I can count anymore. It has really helped me to prioritize Internet responses.

See, last night we had an impromptu (but very nice) evening hanging out with an old friend of mine, Lisa. (Like, one of the few people who has known me for more than a decade that I still talk to.) She was lamenting about how she keeps getting dragged into stupid Internet fights because, like me, it’s sometimes hard to not respond to utterly stupid comments and allegations. As my job has increased my exposure on the Internet, I was finding it hard to stay productive and focus on fans who had legitimate questions over fans who just wanted to throw a fit and make a scene.

And that chart has worked for me, every time.

As I start to compose a response and I’m finding that I’m getting angry, I look at the chart. Is this a troll dedicated to bashing others, or a rager who is just ranting and angry? Then don’t engage. Is this person misguided? Then fix the facts. Is this person an unhappy customer (which could also be an unhappy reader or an unhappy friend)? Then rectify the situation, or explain what you can do if the situation can’t be fixed.

While I can get into an Internet scrap with the best of them (and I’ve certainly been in my fair share), I’m really at a point in my life where I’d rather dedicate my time to talking to awesome people instead of fighting with lame people.

So, a much-delayed new entry to the Eddy Owner’s Manual: I’m okay with arguing, and I’m okay with disagreeing, but being an asshole is the best way to end the conversation.

(Caveat: If I’m being an asshole, obviously the argument will continue until I stop being an asshole. Yeah, it’s not fair, and I’m trying to be better about not being an asshole at all, but sometimes I get angry and stubborn. Usually I feel like shit afterwards and will apologize a lot, though. I will be the first to admit that I am a flawed and angry creature.)